Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has stressed that maintaining a balance between population and national resources is essential for sustainable development.

He was chairing an important meeting on population welfare in Islamabad today.

The Prime Minister said the country's rapidly growing population is putting increasing pressure on national resources and poses a major challenge to development. He emphasized the need to align population planning with national development, economic stability, and human resource improvement.

Shehbaz Sharif directed the authorities to convene the inaugural meeting of the National Population Council at the earliest. He also instructed the authorities to finalize the organizational structure of the National Population Council without any delay to ensure effective policymaking on population issues at the national level.

The Prime Minister will personally lead the National Population Council, which will comprise the Chief Ministers of all four provinces, the Prime Minister of Azad Jammu and Kashmir, the Chief Minister of Gilgit-Baltistan, and other key stakeholders.

The meeting was informed that social protection programmes will be linked with family planning initiatives, while women's education and economic empowerment will form a key component of the population management strategy.

It was said that an effective nationwide awareness campaign will be launched to promote balanced population growth. It was noted that countries like Bangladesh, Indonesia, and Iran have successfully implemented population control programmes.

The briefing highlighted that the National Population Council, in collaboration with the provincial governments, will help implement an effective nationwide population campaign. It was also informed that the Council's Secretariat will be established in the Ministry of Planning.